Mother, Where Art Thou?
by Shade Sorcerer
Summary: A sequel to The Scarlet Devil and Puella Magi Marisa Magica. When Marisa shows up at Alice's house with an old friend, Alice realizes that Shinki might not be as dead as the puppeteer believed.
1. Chapter 1

Mother, Where Art Thou?

This story is a sequel to Puella Magi Marisa Magica and The Scarlet Devil. It is recommended that one reads the both of them before reading this story, to fully understand it. Also, this story will not be updated everyday, as my past stories have been. It will be updated either two or three times a week, depending on how many chapters I have in reserve. The updates will happen on Mondays, Thursdays, and sometimes Sundays.

Chapter 1

Unexpected Visitor

Alice was working on her dolls, as usual, when Marisa knocked on her door that day. When she opened the door, Alice was quite prepared to yell at her friend for the disruption, but any thoughts of that vacated her mind when she saw the second person standing outside her home. Though, standing would not be technically accurate, as the woman in fact had no legs, and was floating. Floating, and cackling at Alice's dumbstruck face.  
>"Hey Alice, look who I found!" Marisa said, trying not to laugh herself.<br>"Evil Spirit Mima, in the flesh!" Mima said, bowing.  
>"You don't got flesh though, Mima." Marisa said.<p>

"I-bu-wha-yo-eh… What!?" Alice said, which caused her visitors to burst into laughter. Once they were done, they invited themselves into her house and Marisa plopped onto the floor. Being a spirit, Mima simply continued floating there.  
>"So, missy, what's with all these dolls? Last I saw you, you were dabbling with that book Shinki gave you. Didn't understand a lick of it, did you?" Mima said.<br>Alice grimaces, and Marisa says "Hey, Mima, bit of a touchy subject, yeah? Let's just move past that, all right?"  
>"Yeah, I guess killing your own mother would become a bit touchy… But, then again, I survived, and I only had a copy of the book. I'm not the original author." Mima said, a slight grin on her face.<br>Alice said "You're saying…"  
>Mima said "No, I'm not saying '…', I'm saying that Shinki is probably still alive, somewhere in Makai. I'm also saying you need to learn how to finish a sentence."<br>Marisa said "But, wait, didn't we-"  
>"Kill her?" Mima thwacked Marisa's head, and said "If you think a few oversized lasers are enough to kill a big-G Goddess, then I guess I didn't teach you very well."<br>"R-right. Sorry, Miss Mima." Marisa said, rubbing her head.

"Now, is anybody going to answer my original question, or not?" Mima said, crossing her arms impatiently.  
>"The dolls, yes. Um… I've been trying to make a sentient doll, ever since… That… happened." Alice said.<br>"Trying to fill that empty void in your heart, eh? And you didn't ever think to look in the book that gave birth to an entire universe, sentient life included?" Mima said, rolling her eyes.  
>"Eh, um… no…" Alice said, looking down.<br>Mima took out her copy of The Grimoire of Genesis and Apocalypse, and snatched Shanghai from Alice. She flipped the pages to somewhere near the end of the book. Before she could cast the spell, however, Alice tore Shanghai out of her hand and said "Wait! … Let… Let me do it. Okay?"  
>"Sentimentality is dumb." Mima said, handing Alice the book.<p>

A few hours later, and Shanghai was moving around, though not entirely on her own. It was clear, however, that she had independent thought, and, while she could not speak, she did communicate with gestures. The first thing Alice did, of course, was to burst into tears. The little doll sat on her shoulder and hugged her neck, and Mima, being as purposefully tactless as ever, started laughing, until Marisa gave her a punch in the shoulder. After calming down, Alice said "So, when are we leaving?"  
>"Wait, what?" Mima replied.<br>"For Makai. When are we gonna go?" said Marisa.  
>"Hold on now, I never said I was going with you. I merely said she's probably there." Mima said.<br>"You remember the rules a' your release, though, right, Mima?" Marisa said, grinning.  
>Mima just kind of floated there for a bit. Then: "Dammit, I'm supposed to be the clever one! Fine, I'll go with you." Mima said, frowning.<br>"Thank you, Miss Mima" Marisa said with overt cuteness. Mima merely rolled her eyes.  
>"Well, then, since we are all going, it would be best to leave as soon as possible, before something prevents us from going all at the same time." Mima said. She floated toward the door, and said "Well, shall we?"<br>Marisa jumped up and ran to the door. "Well, c'mon Alice, let's go find your mom!"  
>Shanghai floated in front of Alice and nodded vigorously. Alice nodded back to Shanghai, got up, and headed to the door herself.<p>

* * *

><p>The next day found the group outside the entrance to Makai. Marisa had a large bag full of supplies, while Alice and Mima had nothing more than usual on them. When Alice asked Marisa why she had so much stuff with her, Marisa said something about not wanting to be caught unprepared again. Aya showed up, and Alice asked Marisa and Mima to allow the tengu to take their pictures. When they asked her why, Shanghai pointed at herself, smiling rather proudly, and Alice explained that the little doll could see the current state of someone through a picture of that person. When Mima asked her how she had figured this out so quickly, Alice simply mumbled something incoherent. Mima gave a slight smile, then went over to pose for a picture. After Alice received the pictures, the group crossed through the portal to Makai.<p>

Upon seeing what her home had been reduced to, Alice burst into tears. There were hardly any traces of civilization left. A few broken, sad-looking buildings provided the only respite from the bleak and blackened landscape. Much more common than those were the craters. Those were almost everywhere. There were few signs of life, which, while more than the group expected, were certainly fewer than what they had hoped for. Alice approached one of the demons, a tall woman wearing golden armor, and asked if she knew anything about Shinki. The woman laughed bitterly and said that the Goddess had apparently decided that her subjects weren't good enough, a number of years prior, and had gone on a rampage, slaughtering most of them. Nobody'd heard from her since. The demon also said that not many had bothered to go looking, and most of those who had, never came back. She then pointed the group in the direction of Pandemonium, and left herself. Another demon, a man wearing robes that obscured his form and face, approached the group and asked them what they were doing in Makai. Alice said that they were looking for Shinki, and the man offered to go with them. Mima declined, but was overridden by Marisa and Alice. The man introduced himself as Nofina Nolana. The group looked a little confused by the name, but none of them bothered to ask about it. The man shrugged, an action barely visible due to the amount of clothing he was wearing, and the group proceeded toward Pandemonium.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Opposites

"So, why are you all seeking Lady Shinki? If you don't mind my asking." Nofina said as the group walked along what was left of the road.  
>"Well, everyone has their secrets, don't they?" Mima said with a chuckle. Nofina grunted disconcertedly, but Mima said "And what about you? Why are you wearing all those clothes, when it's not even that cold? You must be melting in that thing."<br>"You… have a point. Fine. I'll let you have your secrets, if you let me have mine." Nofina said.  
>"Any particular reason why you wished to know?" Alice asked.<br>"No. You just seemed… familiar, for some reason. I'm not sure where from, though." the man said.  
>"Well, I am the most-" *Smack* Mima was interrupted by Marisa whacking her in the back of the head.<br>Alice rolled her eyes, and said "I'm sorry for their antics. They seem to think they're amusing."

A fireball explodes near them, and a witch wearing a dark red dress flies down towards them and says "Mai and I will never let you desecrate Lady Shinki's palace!"  
>On the other side of them, a blast of ice froze the ground, and a blue haired witch wearing a whitish-pink dress wordlessly floated towards them. Nofina pulled a long blade out of his robes. "We don't have time for you. Get out of the way yourselves, or we'll do it for you." he said. Mai simply sent a blast of ice at him, but he cut it in half and it dissipated. "Fine. You three, deal with Yuki, I'll take care of Mai." Nofina said. Yuki waved her hand, and a line of fire snaked across the ground. Mima, Marisa, and Alice simply floated upwards to avoid it.<br>Marisa said "You guys can take care of her, right? I gotta keep all this stuff safe." before flying off.

Shanghai hid behind Alice's head, as she sent out hundreds of dolls to blast the fire witch with lasers. The witch blasted the dolls with fire, setting off a chain reaction which blew up the majority of the dolls. Yuki then launched a stream of fire towards Alice, but she sent out a phalanx of dolls with shields to stop the fire. "Mima, feel like jumping in anytime soon?" Alice shouted to the spirit.  
>"Nah, I was thinking of just watching. It's been a while since I last saw you fight." Mima said, floating around a distance from the fight.<br>"It doesn't matter, I'd take you both down at once if you tried!" Yuki said, shooting fire up from the ground below Alice. Alice was blasted upwards, but was otherwise relatively unharmed. The second blast from the sky, however, was far stronger, and left Alice singed. It also threw her to the ground, which knocked her senseless for a few seconds. Yuki tried to use this time to blast Alice with a powerful flame, but Mima interrupted this with four colored orbs that spun in place, blocking Alice from the fire. Other than this, however, Mima didn't interfere with the fight. Alice got back up shakily, and decided that enough was enough.  
>"Goliath!" she shouted, and an enormous doll with two massive swords appeared behind her. Yuki paled, and she quickly lost her bluster.<br>"Umm… Mai? A little help here?" she said to her friend, before noticing that Nofina had already dispatched her. "M-Mai? MAI!" Yuki shouted, before bursting into flame. "That's it! You are SO SCREWED!" She flew into the Goliath Doll and burst out the other side, causing Goliath to explode.  
>"Ugh… not again…" Alice said, upon witnessing her test doll explode once more.<p>

Yuki flew straight at the man who had dispatched her friend, but Nofina leaped back to avoid her. He threw one of his swords at the witch, but she melted it before it reached her. She unleashed a gargantuan stream of fire at Nofina, which he leapt away from. As he was trying to avoid his robes being burned away, he was unable to get close enough to the flaming witch to effectively fight her with his blade. A witch on a broom came out of nowhere, striking Yuki in the head, and Marisa said "I found someplace ta keep my junk!" Yuki turned to look at Marisa, who said "So, wanna have a witch-on-witch fight?" Yuki growled incoherently, and sent a blast of fire at Marisa, who jerked sideways to avoid it. Marisa sent countless star-shaped bullets at the fire witch, and then shot a laser in the direction that Yuki was headed, causing Yuki to fly straight into it. Another, thinner laser came from the side, sent by Alice. After recovering, Yuki sent a veritable firestorm at the dollmaker, then charged straight at Marisa. Still on fire, Yuki kicked Marisa's broom, burning it to a crisp and knocking Marisa to the ground.

Nofina was frozen solid as Mai got back up, muttering to herself "No way am I letting that bitch take all the glory…" Noting that Alice was about to attack Yuki from behind, Mai launched a sphere of ice at the dollmaker, knocking her back.  
>"I thought that Nofina already took care of you." Alice said when Mai approached her.<br>"Like hell am I losing to Yuki. Bitch doesn't know how good she has it, being friends with me." Mai spat angrily.  
>"I am suddenly reminded why Mother never liked you. You're an egotistical ass." Alice said. This statement took Mai by surprise, and Alice used this to stab her in the stomach with a spear doll. Mai jerked backwards and froze the wound over, to prevent it from bleeding.<br>"Bitch." the ice witch said, before sending massive shards of ice at Alice. Alice had her dolls laser these into non-existence, and Mai charged at her with a blade made of ice. Shanghai flew out from behind Alice with a sword, slicing Mai's ice blade in half. A flaming Marisa rocketed past behind Alice's head, followed by a screaming Yuki, who was then engulfed in a massive laser. Alice threw six spear-dolls at Mai, who jerked to the side and threw a shard of ice at her. Shanghai cut the shard in half, and charged at the ice witch. Mai smacked her out of the sky with an ice mallet. Alice threw an explosive doll at Mai and flew to the falling Shanghai, catching her before she hit the ground. Coughing, Mai tried to wave the smoke out of her face. She then flew backwards to get out of the smoke cloud, as a laser shot through where she had just been floating. Mai launched thousands of ice shards at Alice, who threw up a wall of shield dolls. The doll wall then charged Mai with lances. The ice witch froze the entire line, and they all fell to the ground. Mai created two massive ice blocks and slammed them together, hoping to crush Alice between them. Alice flew upwards to avoid this, and sent an explosive doll at Mai. The smoke obscured Mai's vision, and Alice flew towards her and kicked her in the wound she had sustained earlier. This shattered the ice, and Mai screamed. Alice kicked her to the ground, then had a doll armed with a club knock the ice witch unconscious.

Mima tapped the frozen Nofina and said "Why so cold, mate?" before cackling. Marisa and Alice just rolled their eyes.  
>"So, should we melt him, or...?" Marisa said.<br>"Probably not. He probably wouldn't take to us too kindly if we end up burning off his clothes or something. He'll melt eventually." Mima said.  
>"Well, Imma go get my stuff. Don't go anywhere without me!" Marisa said, flying off to wherever she stored her things. Mima decided to follow her, leaving Alice alone with the frozen man.<p>

Alice sat with her back to Nofina, and stared out over the empty landscape. Gone were the rivers and mountains she remembered from her childhood. Gone were the buildings, gone were the people, gone were even the clouds and the sky. It was even worse now than it was when she had witnessed Shinki's rampage firsthand. At least then, the flames and screams made it feel alive. This was just… nothingness. The ground, once lively and colorful, was now dead and grey. The sky, once a wonder to behold, was now different from the ground only in that it was in the air. Alice realized she was likely heightening her enjoyment of Makai in her memories, but that didn't stop her from crying. The empty silence that was Makai now hurt her more even than when she thought she had lost her mother forever. Shanghai hugged her master fiercely, and Alice absentmindedly patted the little dolls head, still crying. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and Nofina said "What's the matter, young one?" Alice turned and hugged him tightly, weeping into his shoulder, and he confusedly wrapped his arms around her, in a somehow familiar embrace.  
>"So, Alice got herself a boyfriend, huh?" Marisa said, smirking. Shanghai punched her in the face, and Marisa said "'Ey, I wasn't bein' serious! Just tryin' ta lighten the mood a bit."<br>Arriving shortly after the witch, Mima said "Hey, what's all this about?"  
>"I dunno. I just came back and found 'em like this." Marisa said.<br>"When I unfroze, the young woman here was just looking out over the landscape, crying. I tried to comfort her, and she did this." Nofina said. "Any of you have any idea why looking out over that" he indicated the empty land "would make her break down like that?"  
>Alice disengaged herself from Nofina and said "Secrets, remember?"<br>"Hmph, right." Nofina said.  
>"Shall we continue?" Mima said, and everyone nodded.<p>

"Anything important about Pandemonium we ought to know of before we get there?" Mima said.  
>"No. There shouldn't be too much to worry about. Yumeko, the head maid and most dangerous guard, joined our group a few years back, but she disappeared shortly after that. I don't blame her, though, because everyone was treating her like it was her fault that Shinki went crazy. Though, about Pandemonium: I have heard rumors of strange creatures having taken up residence there, so don't treat it as though it is entirely safe." Nofina said.<br>The group silently walked along the path to Pandemonium. A short while later, the decrepit great palace of the Goddess Shinki loomed in the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Daughters of the Mad Goddess

Nofina slowly pushed the gargantuan doors of Pandemonium open. One of them ended up collapsing onto the crystal floor, breaking it and sending Nofina down to the lower floor.  
>"Oi, y'all right down there?" Marisa said.<br>"Yes. I'll find my way up somehow." Nofina said.  
>"Wait, can't you just fly?" Mima said.<br>"I'd rather not use any magic. If the rumors are true, the creatures that have taken up residence here can detect magic, so I'd rather not attract their attention. If they exist." Nofina said.  
>"Well then, I should probably do this before we get too far in." Mima said, sprouting legs and landing on the ground. "Even for a spirit, floating takes magic, you know." said the spirit.<br>"It's probably best we split up, anyway. It'll make searchin' through here a heck of a lot faster." Marisa said.  
>"I'll head to Mother's room, then. You search the middle floors." Alice whispered to the others.<br>"Got it." Marisa whispered back. "Oi, Nofina. We're gonna be takin' the upper floors, a'ight?" she shouted down.  
>"Right. I'll search around down here." Nofina said.<p>

After separating from the group, Alice headed to the top floor. As Yumeko's room was closer than Shinki's, that was the first place she decided to check. She opened the door cautiously, and, after verifying that there was no danger, she began walking around the room to check and see if there was anything important. The most notable thing was the utter lack of bedsheets, for some reason. Alice scratched her head at the rather strange lack of said bedsheets. There was nothing else interesting, so she left. She continued down the hallway to Shinki's room. This room was in far worse shape than Yumeko's was. The most striking thing, and something that made Alice feel sick, was the deformed young Alice collapsed in the corner. The other things in the room that would have drawn attention if not for the girl in the corner, were the destroyed bed, broken windows, and ripped pictures. Of course, the pictures being ripped prevented Shanghai from clearly seeing anything about Shinki. Alice walked over to the younger Alice, and said "Alice?"  
>"Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." the girl responded. "Alice. Alice. Alice." the younger Alice said. "Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." The girl turned towards Alice, and the sight of her inhuman face caused Shanghai to dart behind Alice's head. "Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." The girl's eyes were unevenly set into her face, and one was nearly twice the size of the other. There was no nose, and her mouth was slanted. "Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." One of her arms was far longer than the other, and her single leg was bent at a strange angle. "Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." Alice slowly backed away from the abomination, and Shanghai was shuddering violently. "Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." The thing's mantra followed Alice out of the room, as she decided to head for Shinki's private library. Before going, however, Alice's stomach emptied itself on the floor.<p>

As she approached the library, she heard a similar mantra: "Shinki. Shinki. Shinki. Shinki. Shinki." Shanghai once more hid behind Alice's head. Alice gulped, and opened the door. "Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." "Shinki. Shinki. Shinki." "Alice. Alice." There were two more deformed young Alices, and they seemed to be carrying on a 'conversation', although, as there was no change in pitch or facial expression, it was likely they were simply responding to each other's sounds. "Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." "Shinki. Shinki. Shinki. Shinki. Shinki." Alice quietly walked around them to a short desk with an open book on it. Unfortunately, it was not an atlas, as she had hoped. The two young Alices' heads snapped downwards, and they both blurted out their respective words before hobbling towards the door. Although Alice was looking through the books, hoping for some sign of where Shinki may have gone, Shanghai was watching the two young Alices as they did this. Shanghai tapped her master's shoulder, trying to get her attention.  
>"Yes, what is it, little one?" Alice whispered, still looking at the books. Shanghai yanked on her clothes, trying to turn her around. Alice, following the little doll's advice, turned and saw the two young Alices as they were leaving the room, their heads still pointed straight down. "What? what are they doing?" Alice whispered. Shanghai shrugged. "They seem to have noticed something, but… Wait, little one, do you think… Nofina mentioned creatures that are attracted to magic… Do you think these… 'mes' are them?" Alice whispered. Shanghai put her finger on her chin, then nodded uncertainly. Through the open door, Alice could see the deformed young Alice from Shinki's room hopping down the hallway. Alice shuddered violently, then shook her head and started pulling atlases out of the bookshelves, looking for some clue as to where Shinki may have gone.<p>

* * *

><p>Note: Chapter 4 might go up a bit later in the day on Thursday than usual. There's a minor inconsistency that's being stubborn. But, I do already have the chapter written, so no worries about a repeat of the last chapter of Marisa Magica. Also, if I went a bit overboard with the Alices' repetition, please tell me. It'd be something that's easy to fix, and I can see how the amount I have now might be a bit annoying.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Second Daughter

Mima walked down the hallway, carefully checking every room she came across. While she was in one of the side rooms, she heard voices from the hallway. "C'mon, Mai, we gotta get you to the medical ward."  
>"I'm fi- fine. Let go of me, I can handle myself."<br>_Hmm… Those two again? Well, I imagine following them to the ward would be infinitely faster than just searching every room I come across._ Mima thought, silently opening the door and following the two witches down the hallway. When the two turned and headed into a side door, Mima snuck in after them and incapacitated Mai with a single blow from her staff. She then pinned Yuki to the wall, the crescent moon of her staff caught on Yuki's neck.  
>"So, witch, you want to tell me where Shinki went?" Mima said. Yuki kicked her in the stomach, pushing her back, and freeing the fire witch. "Fine then." Mima said, striking Yuki in the side of the head with her staff. Yuki staggered sideways, then tried to jump on the spirit. Mima caught her in the crescent moon again, then finished her off with a powerful blast of magic that sent the fire witch through the wall. Realizing exactly what she just did, Mima thought <em>Uh, whoops. Let's hope that those rumors 'Nofina' was talking about were just that.<em> Mima looked around the room, which was full of potion ingredients and alchemical equipment. There were a few books, but none of them held any clue as to where Shinki may have gone. _I hope for the girl's sake that Shinki is still here. It would most certainly be easier that way._ There was a shuffling noise from outside the room, and Mima spun toward the door and pointed her staff at it.

"Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." A deformed young Alice opened the door and hobbled in.  
><em>Well, that's… sickening. I also have to imagine that it is what was meant by 'creatures'.<em> Mima thought, backing away silently from the creature. "Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice."  
>The Alice hopped towards Mima, who said "Hold on there, miss. What do you think you're doing, exactly?"<br>"Hold. Hold. Hold. Hold. Hold." One of the side doors opened, and another young Alice entered.  
>"Okay, then… You don't seem to actually understand words. Well, let's see if you understand this." Mima said, grinning. She shot a laser out of her staff, blasting one of the Alices. The Alice's stunted left leg began growing, until it looked normal, matching the right leg. <em>Well, they apparently eat magic… That's unfortunate.<em> "Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice. Alice." _And they don't get any more intelligent, either._ Mima thought, backing away. She grabbed a vial labeled Warning: Highly Basic, Will Burn Skin On Contact, and threw it at the Alice's foot. It burned the foot off, and caused the Alice to collapse. Mima used a small laser to sharpen the edge of the crescent on her staff, and used the staff to chop off the other Alice's head. To her discomfort, the headless Alice was still moving around, though it was no longer actively approaching the spirit. Mima decided that leaving would likely be a good idea, and did so, leaving the Alices in the room with the still unconscious Mai.

Mima passed a number of other Alices as she walked back down the hallway she had come from. They failed to react to her presence in any way, until she waved her hand in front of one of them, and even then, all it did was look at her for a few seconds, before continuing onward to the room she had blasted Yuki in. Mima, thoroughly put off by the abominations, was perfectly happy with them ignoring her as long as she didn't cast any magic. She headed back to the main staircase and went up a floor, as, since Pandemonium was a massive palace, the group had decided to take three floors each. Mima recalled that Alice had said the second floor Mima would be on was the magical laboratory. While the spirit would normally be excited by the prospect of visiting the magic lab of one of the most powerful magic users she had ever encountered, given the circumstances, it seemed as though her enthusiasm would need to take a back seat to her prudence.

When Mima reached the magic lab, her jaw dropped. The room was absolutely massive. It was a magician's heaven, and Mima just stood there in awe for a few minutes. There were thousands of magic books, enclosed areas for practicing new spells, premade magic circles… and thousands of young Alices, all shuffling towards the door Mima entered through. Mima shook herself out of her reverie, and moved out of the way of the door, letting the Alices head through it. _I feel kind of bad, letting all of them head downstairs to where those unconscious witches are… Ah, well. What happens, happens._ Mima shrugged, and looked around the lab.  
>"Lady. Lost." Mima spun to see a nearly normal young Alice behind her, looking straight at her.<br>"Eh? Hm… interesting. This one knows more than one word…" Mima muttered.  
>"Lady. Lost." the Alice said, tilting its head.<br>Mima stood there for a little while before realizing it was asking a question. "No, I'm not lost. I know exactly where I am." she said.  
>"That. Good." the Alice said. Mima thought for a while, looking at the girl. "Lady. Need. Help." the Alice said, tilting its head once more.<br>"Yes, actually. Would you happen to know where Shinki is?" Mima said.  
>"Mommy." the Alice said. "Mommy. Not. Here. . Mommy. Angry. Alyssa. Want. Alice. . Alyssa. First. . Mommy. Sick. Brain."<br>_So, that's pretty much exactly what I thought happened_. Mima thought. "So, Alyssa, was it? Would you happen to know where Shinki went?" the spirit said.  
>"Maybe. . Alyssa. Help. Lady. Lady. Help. Alyssa." Alyssa said.<br>"Eh, well then, what do you need help with, Alyssa?" Mima said.  
>"Alyssa. Need. Magic. . Lady. Have. Magic." Alyssa said, tilting her head.<br>"Yeah, but… The others didn't seem to take kindly to me when I used it earlier." Mima said, frowning.  
>"Others. Need. Magic. . Others. Not. Ask. . Alyssa. Ask." Alyssa said.<br>"Yeah, but… I don't suppose you could wait until we get out of here, for me to give you some? The others are a little… disturbing." Mima said.  
>"Alyssa. Try. Wait." Alyssa said, nodding.<br>"Well then, Alyssa, do you know where Shinki has gone?" Mima said.  
>"Mommy. Talk. Alice. Lot. . Mommy. Look. Alice. . Said. First." Alyssa said.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What's it Like?"

After looking through all the Atlases in Shinki's personal library, Alice headed down a floor, to the public library. She passed a few more young Alices, all headed downwards, but none of them paid her any mind. She would have been worried for Marisa and Mima, but as Shanghai was constantly checking their pictures, she knew they were fine. When she got to the public library, she was disappointed, though not entirely surprised, to see Marisa rummaging around in one of the bookshelves. "Marisa! What do you think you're doing here? You were supposed to be checking out the residential areas." the dollmaker said.  
>"Yeah, but that's boring. And besides, I already found a picture a' Shinki. But, uh… I'm not so sure that she's entirely, uh… all there." Marisa said.<br>"You mean… those… 'me' things?" Alice said. Marisa nodded. "Well, let me see the picture." Alice said. Marisa handed the picture to her, and Alice showed it to Shanghai.  
>"So, Shanghai, how is she?" Marisa said.<br>Shanghai made a so-so motion with her hand.  
>"What do you mean?" Alice said.<br>Shanghai pointed at herself, and nodded. Then, she pointed at her head and shook her head.  
>"So, she herself is fine, but her brain's all jacked up?" Marisa said.<br>Shanghai nodded.  
>"I suppose that's only natural, for what happened to 'er." Marisa said. Alice frowned.<br>"Well, since you're here, you might as well help me. The atlases are over there." Alice gestured towards one of the bookshelves. "Help me search through them, to see if any of them have any markings, or anything that might help us figure out where Shinki might have gone." Alice said.  
>"A'ight. I'll take the bottom shelves, you take the top?" Marisa said. Alice nodded.<p>

After about an hour of looking through the atlases with no luck, Marisa said "So, Alice. What's it like, bein' a youkai?"  
>"It's not <em>that<em> much different from being human, aside from the… rather unpleasant sudden cravings for human flesh. May I ask, what brought this on, all of a sudden?" Alice said.  
>Marisa took out a knife, a normal steel one she found in one of the kitchens. "This is jus' a plain old knife, right? Wouldn't do anythin' to a youkai, would it?" the witch said.<br>"I don't believe any enchantments were put on the cooking utensils." Alice said. The dollmaker held out her hand, expecting Marisa to give the knife to her to see a demonstration. Marisa lifted up the knife, and stabbed herself- or rather, shattered the knife against her own skin.  
>"MARI-... Marisa?" Alice said.<br>"That's why. You know how I was missin' for 'bout three weeks before I showed up with Mima?" Marisa said. Alice nodded. "Well, some nasty stuff happened, when Yukari dropped me outside. I had ta use my copy of Shinki's Grimoire. And, well… You know well enough what that does." Marisa said. "I never really knew you before ya turned into one. Patchy neither. So, I was kinda worried… that, well, I might not really be the same person after it happened." Marisa said, sighing and looking down.  
>"Well, I'm here, looking for Shinki, am I not? There are some things that are different, but… Overall, if you make sure to stay the same, you will." Alice said. "I know that Reimu doesn't much like us, but… Youkai aren't that different from humans. We have the ability to be good or bad, just like any other sentient beings. We're just… higher up on the food chain, I guess." the puppeteer said.<br>"'Ey, now. Reimu ain't as bad as ya think. Really, she's just puttin' on an act. Thinks it's her job as a youkai exterminator, or somethin'." Marisa said, relieved by Alice's opinion.

"Well, these things don't seem have any clue as to where Shinki might'a gone. So, you wanna go check out what Mima's up to?" Marisa said.  
>Alice said "No. I think we should look at those floors you skipped, first."<br>"Aw, but I already know there's nothin' there. What's the point in it?" Marisa said.  
>"Thoroughness and surety." Alice said.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Four Beasts

_This little bit of magic shouldn't draw their attention_ Nofina thought, snapping his fingers to light a torch he pulled off the wall. He headed straight towards the cells in which they had managed to lock the beasts of destruction Shinki had created the day she went mad. He remembered well that day…

_Yumeko knocked on the door to Shinki's quarters. "Lady Shinki, your tea is ready."  
><em>"_Gone… She's gone. They took her… took her away from me. They took everything… It's all gone now… nothing's the same. My daughter… there is nothing without you. There will be nothing, without you. Everything will be nothing, without you…" Shinki said.  
><em>"_Lady Shinki? Is everything alright?" Yumeko asked, voice full of concern. A creature tore through the hallway behind her, destroying everything in its path. It moved too quickly for anyone to get a good look at it, but it was serpentine and had a humanoid face. It, and the other three that had spawned alongside it, destroyed fully half the palace before the staff managed to lock them up. Of course, no one could lock up their Goddess, not even had they wanted to, which some of them did. She Herself left the palace untouched, but the staff could hear the explosions coming from outside. During the repairs, Yumeko was asked by many people what exactly had happened, but the only response she could give was that she knew not…_

Nofina had to see those beasts again. The faces of his 'companions' seemed familiar, but they themselves had admitted they were not from Makai. The only other faces Nofina had ever seen were those on the beasts. Ending his musings, he came upon their cell. They were quite well chained, but their faces were still visible. _So I was correct, after all_. he thought, as two of the four shared the faces of Mima and Marisa. That left the question of the other one, Alice, but it was not his job to answer it. Though… Alice… The name seemed familiar to him. _The Daughters…_ he remembered. _Yes, many of the Daughters of the Mad Goddess chose that as their word. _The Daughters, who, before the staff realized what they did, claimed even more lives than the beasts…

_One of the servants had attempted to clear away the rubble with a powerful blast of magic. A large group of deformed young girls came out from behind the pile, and hobbled towards the demon, endlessly repeating a random word. Though, not entirely random, as many of them seemed to be saying "Alice" over and over. Panicking, the servant tried to fight them with magic. It did nothing, and the servant didn't keep his wits enough to realize this. Eventually, they grabbed him, and completely drained him of his magic. In a realm where magic was as important to life as blood, the servant collapsed, dead. There were similar reports to this from all over the palace. It seemed as though taking their head off would do nothing, the only reliable way to kill them was to destroy their heart… _

Perhaps he would leave this Alice alive, see if she meant anything to Lady Shinki. Pondering this, Nofina headed upstairs to dispose of the two intruders.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Complete Darkness

Having fully explored everywhere she cared about, Mima took Alyssa and headed back to the entrance. When she arrived, the long-lived evil spirit felt as though something was amiss. She told Alyssa to hide, and readied herself for combat. A sword flew out of the shadows, burying itself in the ground next to Mima, who had jumped to the side when she heard the rustling of fabric. Nofina charged at her, but she swatted his sword away with her staff. She poked at him with the sharpened crescent, and he slid back, then rushed the spirit again. Mima slid forward, letting Nofina's thrust go under her arm,and wrapped her arm around his, locking the man's elbow. Using her staff like a lever, she ripped his shoulder out of its socket. She hopped backwards, letting Nofina's arm hang limply. When she thrust the crescent end of her staff at Nofina's neck, he dropped low, and used his other hand to grab it. Righting himself, he kicked the spirit in the chin, making her lose her grip on the weapon.

Mima backed away and said "Now what? There's no way you're using that effectively with one hand, and I don't have enough fist-fighting experience to knock you out with just my hands." Nofina stared at her for a bit, then deftly spun, threw the staff as far away as he could, and grabbed the sword he had dropped when Mima dislocated his shoulder, all in one, fluid motion. At the same time, Mima jumped for the sword Nofina had thrown at her earlier, and pulled it from the floor.  
>"How does a sorceress know how to use a sword?" Nofina said.<br>"When you've been around as long as I have, sometimes you just need to do things the old-fashioned way, Yumeko." Mima said, grinning.  
>'Nofina' stepped back, and, attempting to maintain her manly voice, said "I-I'm not Yumeko. I already told you, she left the group a while ago."<br>"Oh, come now. You really couldn't have made it any more obvious. 'Nofina Nolana'? Really? That's not even trying to hide the portmanteau. And then there's these swords. You really shouldn't try to use a signature weapon while in disguise. It kind of gives you away." Mima said.  
>Giving in, Yumeko said "Fine. You have the pleasure of knowing who I am, now, who are you? Your face was on the beast of destruction Lady Shinki created the day she went mad. Why?"<br>"Oh, I imagine that's because it's not your Shinki. It's the Shinki from a previous timeline, who almost destroyed our world. On accident, mind you, but we still had to beat some sense into her." Mima said.  
>"So you're here to hurt Lady Shinki more, then. Well, if that's the case, I must stop you." Yumeko said, charging at Mima.<p>

Mima's bluff was proven false, as Yumeko was able to disarm her within a few seconds. As Yumeko was about to permanently dispatch the spirit, Alyssa threw Mima's staff to her. "Nice. Lady. Not. Lose. Mean. Lady." The girl said, louder than usual. Mima smirked at Yumeko's look of disbelief.  
>"Well, then. Looks like I'm back where I started. Do you want to surrender now? Or do I have to beat you unconscious first?" Mima said.<br>"You befriended a Daughter?" Yumeko said, backing away slowly.  
>"I don't know why, but young children always seem to latch on to me." Mima said, shrugging.<br>Yumeko shook her head and said "It matters not. I will not let you meet Lady Shinki."

Yumeko rushed at Mima again, but hopped back as Mima swung the staff at her. Mima stabbed at the maid, who dodged to the side. The spirit anticipated this, however, and redirected her momentum such that she struck Yumeko and sent her sprawling. The maid rolled away as Mima jumped at her, causing the crescent to pierce the floor. Mima struggled to pull her staff from the ground as Yumeko rose. She succeeded barely in time to dodge Yumeko's swing. Mima stabbed at her with the staff again, and Yumeko ducked under it. Mima, aware of what the maid intended, rose her knee. As she had expected, Yumeko, who tried to shoulder charge her, ran face-first into her knee. Mima then planted her foot on the maid's chest, and shoved her backwards. Mima stabbed at her with the staff one more time, and Yumeko dodged it. The maid did a rolling jump over the spirit's staff, kicking her in the face with one foot, and using the heel of her other to smash Mima's head into the floor. Yumeko threw her sword into the spirit's chest, pinning her to the floor. Ghostly ectoplasm began leaking out of the hole, and Mima stopped thrashing shortly after.

Yumeko winced as she shoved her shoulder back into its socket. She walked over to the spirit and retrieved her sword. She turned to face Alyssa, and said "I don't know what you are, but the appearance of yours coincides with Lady Shinki's madness. I can only assume you have something to do with it."  
>"Alyssa. Never. Hurt. Mommy. . Alyssa. Not. Make. Mommy. Sick." the girl said.<br>"Do you truly expect me to believe that? That the two events are completely unrelated?" Yumeko paused, then said "You seem to be the most intelligent Daughter, and thus are most likely to be leader. I will kill you, find Lady Shinki, and we will return Makai to its former glory." Yumeko raised her sword, to stab the girl in the heart.

* * *

><p>Note: Yes, I am evil.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Doll of Misery

Shanghai put her hands to her mouth, as if gasping. She rushed to her master's side, yanking on her dress to get her attention.  
>"Yes, what is it, little one?" Alice said.<br>Shanghai urgently pointed at Mima's picture. She then put her hands to her chest, as if in pain.  
>Alice's eyes widened, and she said "Marisa! Mima's in trouble!"<br>"What!? Well, come on!" Marisa said, rushing to the door.  
>Ignoring the "No magic" advice, Alice and Marisa flew as quickly as they could to the fourth floor. The single large room was empty, so they rushed down to the Magic Lab. This was also empty, so they rushed down to the medical ward. This was full of the Daughters, so they had to flee. They rushed down to the first floor, and, from the shadows, saw Nofina about to stab Alyssa, and Mima on one knee, leaning on her staff.<p>

"Don't you dare lay one finger on that girl." Mima said. The spirit coughed, then said "I was lying earlier. It's not the young ones that latch onto me, it's the other way around." Yumeko spun, to see Mima using her staff to push herself upright. "Everyone thought I forgot how to be evil, after I started raising Marisa." Mima said, coughing again. "I didn't forget anything. It was something I remembered." Mima grinned, then continued "After finding that little girl, abandoned and lost in the forest, I remembered another lost, abandoned little girl. I remembered another forest, and I remembered what happened to that girl. I remembered the anger, the sadness that that little girl felt. I remembered the vengeance that little girl wanted, but I also realized something. I realized, 'If that little girl got her vengeance, what would happen to all the other little girls? They would all be abandoned, all be lost. They would all feel that selfsame sadness and anger that drove the little, vengeance-seeking girl to be an evil spirit.' So instead of killing her, I decided to raise the lost little girl in the forest. I decided that the best way to get 'vengeance', would be to prevent any other little girls from ever feeling abandoned, from ever being lost. No matter the cost to myself, to anything else. So, if you're planning on hurting that little girl, you have one _**hell**_ of a fight ahead of you, maid." Mima said, sprouting wings. The force of the magic Mima released pushed everyone to the ground, and Mima started flying. "I'm not terribly worried about those other 'Daughters', as you called them. They're rather slow, and easy to avoid." Yumeko stood, then started flying as well. Alice tried to run out into the fray, but Marisa pulled her back into the shadows, shaking her head. Yumeko created a sword, and had it cut her 'robes' off. Underneath, she was wearing her normal maid outfit.

Mima flew at Yumeko, the open end of her staff headed directly for Yumeko's throat. Yumeko rose, kicked the staff downward, and slammed her heel into the back of Mima's head. She then launched a massive number of swords at the spirit. Mima spun, and vaporized all of them with a massive laser, nearly catching Yumeko in the beam as well. This brought down a deal of the medical ward, dumping Yuki, Mai, medical supplies, and a number of Daughters on the combatants. Yumeko cut the majority of the debris headed her way to pieces, and Mima replicated the magical blast from earlier. Marisa grabbed Alyssa and flew out the main door, Alice close behind.

A huge laser chased Yumeko out of the door, and Mima flew out after the laser ceased. The spirit created a magical wall to stop the barrage of swords Yumeko sent at her. Mima created a large sphere made of smaller spheres around the maid, and then collapsed it on her. Mima chuckled, confident that Yumeko had been struck down. She was lucky the orbs obscured Yumeko's aim, or she would have been missing most of her face. As it was, the sword rushed by close enough to leave a small cut on Mima's cap. Mima's orbs dissipated, revealing Yumeko to be far behind the centerpoint of the sphere. Yumeko replicated Mima's assault with swords, but the spirit blasted them away with another magic blast. Mima coughed. It was small, almost unnoticeable. Almost. Yumeko smirked. Another wall of swords, another blast, another cough. And again, and again. And Yumeko was directly in front of Mima. Mima barely darted away in time to avoid the maid's blade. _Spatial manipulation? Well, that's annoying._ Mima thought. Yumeko grimaced at having given away her trump card. Yumeko teleported and attacked once more, and Mima dodged. This repeated a few times, until there was a moment when Yumeko didn't reappear, just enough of a pause for Mima to have stopped, as Yumeko appeared behind the spirit, ramming her blade through Mima's head. Alice gasped, but Marisa grinned and said "This's the good part, Alice."

Mima sprouted two more sets of wings, and blasted Yumeko back with magic powerful enough to cause the maid's vision to blur. She instinctively teleported away, and there was an explosion where she just was. She heard the sound of a laser, and teleported again. Mima continued her relentless assault, and Yumeko continued teleporting to avoid it.  
>"Marisa, this is really bad. We need to stop her." Alice said.<br>"Yeah, I guess the maid wouldn't do us any good dead." Marisa said.  
>"That's not what I mean. This is really bad for Mima." Alice said.<br>"You sure your eyes're workin' right? Mima's got her cornered." Marisa said.  
>"That's the problem! If we don't calm this down, Yumeko's going to kill her!" Alice said.<br>Marisa laughed and said "You've never seen Mima go all out before."  
>"Marisa, Yumeko is one of Mother's strongest creations, nearly on par with the grimoire!" Alice said.<br>Marisa blanched and said "Oh, shi-"  
>"Enough of this!" Yumeko said. She extended her arm toward Mima, palm out. Mima tried to cast a spell. She failed. Mima tried to raise her arm. She failed. Mima tried to open her mouth to speak. She failed. Mima tried to move out of the way of the thousands of swords headed towards her. She failed. The remaining scraps of the spirit fell to the ground.<br>"Oh, you son of a BITCH! FIIINAAAL SPAAARK!" But the witch's laser curved away from the maid. Marisa tried to say something. She failed. Marisa tried to move out of the way of the thousands of swords headed towards her.  
>"Goliath!" Alice said, summoning the doll in between her friend and the swords. They all bounced off the near-invincible doll. "Yumeko! I challenge you to a duel, with Goliath as my proxy. If she wins, you must at least listen to what we have to say." Alice said.<br>Yumeko glared at her. "And if I win, you will let me kill the witch, then tell me what your relation to Lady Shinki is. And how you know I can challenge your doll. Are these terms agreeable?"  
>Alice said "Yes." and thought <em>I hope this puts as much strain on her as it used to.<em>

Yumeko, and two of her swords, grew to a size matching the Goliath doll. _Sixty seconds. That's all you need to do, Goliath._ Alice thought. She floated slightly above the ground. Yumeko lifted Marisa into the air as well. _Fifty-five_. Yumeko lunged at Goliath, which dodged to the side. Goliath lifted its feet, so that Yumeko's other blade launched the doll, instead of cutting it in half. _Forty-five._ Yumeko teleported to the doll, and slammed her sword down. Goliath dodged to the side again. The ground shook, and part of Pandemonium collapsed. Marisa's jaw dropped. _Forty_. Goliath slid in and smashed the hilt of one of its swords into Yumeko's face. The maid staggered backwards, and her nose, which was bent awkwardly, began bleeding. Goliath stabbed at Yumeko, but the maid parried the blow and took Goliath's arm off as the doll tried to dodge. _Thirty_. "The victory is mine." Yumeko's voice resonated through the area.  
>"Goliath struck first blood, and you continued the duel. The fight is to incapacitation." Alice said. <em>Twenty.<em> Yumeko scowled and lunged at Goliath again. The doll slid out of the way, and brought its blade up to defend itself. Yumeko dropped one of her swords, grabbed the doll's remaining arm, and tore it off. Marisa's jaw dropped again. _Fifteen._ Goliath kicked Yumeko in the stomach, and slid back. Yumeko threw Goliath's arm at the doll, and charged at it. _Ten._ Yumeko bought her blade above her head and grabbed the doll. _Nine._ Goliath tried to kick the maid again, but Yumeko blocked it with her leg. _Eight._ Yumeko slammed the doll into the ground. _Seven._ Yumeko's blade fell on the doll splitting it in half. _Six. Dammit. _Yumeko returned to her normal height, and, panting, approached Alice and Marisa. Alice stood in between the maid and her friend.  
>"You said you wouldn't interfere, if I won." Yumeko said, glaring at Alice.<br>"I won't. I simply ask you to change the order in which your requests are fulfilled." Alice said.  
>"If you think you will be able to change my mind about this, you are mistaken, but... I suppose I can postpone her demise for a short while." Yumeko said, sitting on the ground.<br>Alice handed Yumeko her grimoire and said "I believe this will explain everything. It is the first grimoire Mother gave me."

Yumeko opened the grimoire, and on the inside front cover, read To my beloved daughter, Alice. Love, Mom and saw a poorly drawn smiley face. Yumeko recognized the handwriting, and most certainly recognized the 'artwork'. "For the creator of an entire sub-verse, Mother never was much of an artist." Alice said.  
>Yumeko sat silently for a while, then closed the book, handed it back to Alice, bowed, and said "My apologies, Lady Alice. Had I known of your heritage, I would not have concealed myself from you." She released Marisa from the infinite space she had been confined in, and the witch ran over to the scraps of the spirit lying on the ground.<br>Marisa gathered the scraps together and said "Alice, in order to get Mima back, I'm gonna have to head back to Gensokyo, alright? The magic around here won't work. See you." The witch left.

"So, Yumeko, do you have any idea where Mother might have gone?" Alice said. Yumeko shook her head sadly.  
>"Mommy. Look. You. . Said. First. You." Alyssa said.<br>Yumeko stood and pointed a sword at the girl, but Alice said "Stand down. She's trying to help."  
>Yumeko looked at her and raised an eyebrow, but said "If you say so, Lady Alice." and made her sword vanish.<br>"So, Mother is at… the first place she met me?" Alice says to Alyssa. The girl nods. "Well, I guess we have our objective, then. We should wait until Yuki and Mai wake up, before we head out." Alice said.  
>"As you say, Lady Alice." Yumeko said.<p>

* * *

><p>Note: I was going to make a joke here, but I just found out that Monty Oum died. So, instead of that, this chapter is dedicated to Monty Oum, a wonderful animator and all-around great guy. We'll miss you, Monty.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Marisa Vs. Marisa

Waking up under a pile of debris, surrounded by a crowd of Daughters, was quite the surprise to Yuki and Mai. "What did you do this time?" Mai said, glowering at Yuki.  
>"That spirit from earlier snuck up on us, and knocked you out before I could do anything. Without magic, I didn't stand a chance, either. About the palace, I'm not sure." Yuki said.<br>"So you screwed up. Again." Mai said. Yuki just rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we should try to find a way out of here." Mai said.  
>There was a pounding sound from above the large pile of debris, and Yumeko called down "Are you two awake yet?"<br>"Miss Yumeko? I thought you vanished awhile ago. Yes, we're awake, and mostly fine." Yuki said.  
>"Watch your heads, then. I'm not sure how stable this is, but I would guess that it isn't very. Things may start falling as I try to open a hole for you." Yumeko said.<br>A short while later, and the two witches were successfully extricated from the rubble. Yuki and Mai almost attacked Alice, but Yumeko explained what had happened to them. Yuki apologized profusely, while Mai simply took to one knee and said "My apologies".

"So, uh... What happened to those other two that were with you, Lady Alice?" Yuki said.  
>"Yumeko wouldn't listen to us until after she defeated Mima. She should be fine, since she's a spirit, but Marisa had to take her back to Gensokyo for her to heal. Which reminds me, we should leave some sort of indication as to the direction we're going, so that those two can catch up to us when they get back." Alice said.<br>"Of course, Lady Alice." Yumeko said.  
>"Um... Where are we going, anyways?" Yuki said.<br>"The outskirts of Makai, where Mother found me." Alice said. Yumeko carved a large arrow into the ground, and the group departed.

* * *

><p>The ground shook, and a pile of rubble of the ruins of pandemonium exploded outwards, as a large, serpentine creature burst from it. The creature roared and tore off toward the exit of Makai.<p>

* * *

><p>Hearing a roar from behind her, Marisa turned around. "What in the world is that thing!?" the witch said, as the beast of destruction with her face rushed towards her. Marisa darted to the side to avoid its gaping mouth.<br>"Wow, Shinki _really_ went batshit." Marisa said. The creature roared at her.  
>She just looked at it and said "I ain't got time for this right now, so just get outta the way." before shooting a laser into its mouth. The creature seemed not to feel it, as it charged at her again. Marisa darted out of the way, and decided to leave it be, if she could. The creature, of course, disagreed, and gave chase. It was faster than the witch, especially on her back-up broom. What it was not, however, was intelligent. Every time before it charged at her, it roared, and it never caught on that this allowed her to avoid it far more easily. It did eventually get bored of missing Marisa, and fired a gargantuan laser from its mouth at the witch.<br>"Hey, now. Stealin' moves is a low blow." Marisa said, after dodging it. The creature simply fired another laser at her. This time, however, when the laser ended, it was noticeably closer to Marisa.  
>"Oh, shit." Marisa managed to avoid the creature's gaping mouth. Marisa's bag, the bag currently containing the remaining bits of Mima, did not.<p>

"Oh, FUCK you!" Marisa said. _There's no point running from it now. _She thought, aiming her Hakkero at the thing. "FIIINAAAL SPAAARK!" Marisa's laser didn't phase the creature at all. _Well, shit._ she thought. she spent a few second weighing her options. Eventually, she decided. _Well, I gotta get that bag back, and if I can't blast a hole through the thing and get it that way, then I'll just have to go in there and get it myself._ Marisa laughed to herself, then put her Hakkero on the back of her broom.  
>"LET'S DO THIS! BLAZING STAR!" Marisa said. The creature roared at her, and Marisa launched herself into its mouth, grabbed the bag in its stomach, and tore through the other side. The laser giving the witch her speed tore the thing apart from the inside out, and its corpse flopped to the ground.<p>

"Euch. That was gross." Marisa said, shaking bodily fluids off of herself. The witch headed for the exit of Makai, and then, once in Gensokyo, towards her house to take a bath. After a few hours, Mima regenerated, gathering the ambient magic in Gensokyo's air.

"How did you escape?" was the first thing Mima said to Marisa.  
>"Well, turns out that all we needed ta do was show Yumeko Alice's Grimoire, so…" Marisa said.<br>"And did I really have to get ripped to shreds for that?" Mima said.  
>"Hey, you're the one that wouldn't stay down. Anyways, we should probably head back. Who knows what those guys are getting up to without us." Marisa said, grinning.<br>"Yes, but… One more question. Why was I _slimy_ when I came to?" Mima said.  
>"I dunno. Maybe something to do with the regeneration process or something?" Marisa said, a little too quickly. Mima raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. The two of them headed back towards the entrance of Makai.<p>

* * *

><p>Note: Marisa hasn't pulled enough crazy yet. Also, the writing has been going slowly lately. I'm trying to fix it, but I have a boatload of crap due this week. I will try to upload <em>something<em> on thursday, but it may not be this. I might fail, however.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Mansion of the Mad Goddess

"Uh, it's been a while since I've been to the outskirts… Were they always like this?" Yuki said, looking out over the hellish landscape.  
>"Yes, this is about how I remember it." Alice said. Shanghai nodded her head in agreement.<br>"Indeed. The outskirts have never been terribly hospitable." Yumeko said.  
>"Of course they've always been like this, moron." Mai said.<br>"Mai, shut up." Alice said.  
>"Oh, it's fine, Lady Alice. I know she loves me." Yuki said, patting Mai on the head.<br>"This is why I hate you." Mai said, glaring at the fire witch.  
>Looking more closely at the landscape, Alice noticed a large, disfigured mansion. "Yumeko, do you see that? That is where we are headed. An arrow, if you will." the puppeteer said.<br>"Of course, Lady Alice." Yumeko said, carving an arrow into the ground, pointing at the manor.

As they approached the manor, avoiding the random pillars of flame dotting the landscape, they noticed more and more strange things about it. It was rainbow-colored, and the only door was three stories up, and upside-down. The entire building was slightly tilted, and it looked fuzzy, distorted.  
>"Well, I think it's safe to say this is where Mother is." Alice said.<br>"I am inclined to agree, Lady Alice." Yumeko said.  
>"Yumeko?" Alice said.<br>"Yes, Lady Alice?" Yumeko said.  
>"I appreciate your loyalty, but…" Alice said.<br>"Stop being such a suck-up?" Yuki said.  
>"Yes, that." Alice said.<br>"Understood, Lady Alice." Yumeko said.  
>"Enough banter. Let us head inside." Mai said. Alice nodded, and they flew up to the door.<p>

The inside of the building looked like an Escher piece. There were upside-down stairs all over the place, and objects that shouldn't be able to exist were commonplace. The interior was no less colorful than the exterior, and everything had that same blurry quality it had had outside. The strangest thing was that gravity seemed directed at whatever large, flat object was closest. As Alyssa was unable to fly, and Alice insisted that they bring her along, they were forced to navigate on foot. This made the going rather slow.

* * *

><p>Mima and Marisa flew as quickly as they could back to Pandemonium. "So, Mima. Were you planning on telling Alice that you knew what happened, roughly?" Marisa said.<br>The spirit raised an eye at the uncharacteristically serious tone of her student's voice. "And how did you know I knew?" Mima said.  
>"She's not really that good at hiding it. Especially with that bit where she knew about what her doll could do after one day, with no circumstances forcing her to find out. Normally, something like that'd take a few months, at least." Marisa said.<br>"Well, then. Yes, I was. Why?" Mima said.  
>"Don't. I don't know what caused it, but she promised me she'd never cast that spell again. And unlike either of us, she's actually one to keep her promises. After it happened, she locked herself in her house for almost a month. Whatever it was, it was bad. Really, really bad. Now, I have a question for you. Why were you planning on telling her?" Marisa said.<br>"Well, because…" Mima found she had no good answer for that question.  
>"Well?" Marisa said, folding her arms.<br>"I… I thought it would be funny. That's why." Mima said. She huffed, then said "And why do I have to explain myself to you?"  
>Marisa stopped and glared at her. "Because, Alice is my friend. This isn't something like when you just messed with Reimu a bit, or anything like that. Whatever it was tore Alice to pieces, and bringing it up again is just… wrong. Or do you want to end up back in the netherworld?" Marisa said.<br>Mima was unhappy with Marisa using her newfound power over the spirit, but she couldn't help but agree with the girl. "Alright, fine. I won't talk about it- unless it becomes important. I don't care how much you care about her, your safety comes first." the spirit said.  
>"Alrighty then." Marisa said, going back to her normal, carefree self. "Now, why exactly is there a giant arrow on the ground?" she said, pointing at said giant arrow.<br>For as intelligent as her pupil was, sometimes she was incredibly dense. Mima said "I imagine that that is where our friends headed, seeing as they are not currently here."  
>"Oh, right. Well, what're we waitin' for? Let's go!" Marisa said, speeding off in the direction the arrow pointed. Mima followed close behind.<p>

* * *

><p>Note: This story will, unfortunately, be only posted once a week from now on, most likely. Of course, the good news is that that is because I'm currently working on another story, one that takes place over the same period of time as Puella Magi Marisa Magica and this story, and that story is being posted on Thursdays now. Generally. As long as life doesn't do what life does best and get in the way. Either way, I apologize to those of you who only wanted to read this story, but as my already limited attention is now divided between two stories, I will not be able to work on this as quickly as I had been.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Remnants of a Past Existence

Alice pushed through a sideways door, which slammed shut behind her, and fell to the ground of a surprisingly normal room, at least, where the layout was concerned. The inhabitants of the room, however, gave Alice pause, or rather, one particular inhabitant. "R-Reimu?" Alice said. Standing at the forefront of the group was a short girl, one a little on the heavy side, who had purple hair.  
>"Alice, I presume. You've changed a lot since you decided that none of us were important enough to live." Reimu said.<br>Alice blanched. "I-I-"  
>"So this is her, huh?" a brown-haired girl with a wrench said.<br>"The one that damned us all?" a horned woman with black hair said, drawing a sword.  
>Alice tried to stammer out a response.<br>"No. You don't get to talk. This is all that's left of our world, the one you destroyed. Not even a quarter of us made it, and it's your fault. So, no, you don't get to speak." A purple-haired woman wearing a labcoat said, while gesturing at the group of seven people in the room.  
>A red-haired woman with a baton rolled her eyes. "I know she screwed up, but… how old did you say she was again, shrine maiden? At the time she cast that spell, I mean." she said.<br>Reimu winced, then said "Seven, I think. But still, she killed everyone. I can't let that go unpunished. And she cast it again. Not that long ago, either." She folded her arms, her face stern once more.  
>A blond vampire said "And I guess she's gotten better at magic since then, too. There was only one survivor of that, and she's been huddled in the corner ever since. Hasn't said a word." The vampire gestured to the seventh person in the room, who was sitting in the corner. She had silver hair and was wearing a maid's uniform.<p>

"S-Sakuya?" Alice said.  
>"Oh, and she recognizes the girl, too." the girl with the wrench said.<br>"A friend of yours? Maybe now you know exactly what you did." the woman with the sword said.  
>Upon hearing her name, Sakuya looked up. "Alice? D-do you know what happened?" she said.<br>"We already told you. She cast a spell that tore apart the universe and put a new one in its place. That's why you're here, and why no one else you know made it." the purple-haired woman said.  
>"Is that true, Alice?" Sakuya said.<br>Alice said "I… I had to... Ma-"  
>"You didn't have to do shit." the vampire said. "In fact, you know what you-"<br>A knife buried itself in the wall, between the vampire's chest and her left arm. "Let her talk. I trust her." Sakuya said. The vampire glared at her, but stayed silent.  
>"M-Marisa, Patchouli, Meiling, Flandre, Remilia… Reimu, even… They were all dead. All of them. I had to do it, or Gensokyo would have fallen apart… I… I didn't know that it would do this…" Alice said.<br>"I see… Thank you, then." Sakuya said. She turned to the rest of the group. "I don't know what happened the first time, but it's clear to me that this most recent occurrence was a necessary evil. Hence, if you are planning on killing her, I will do my best to stop you. The past matters not, only the present and the her most recent acts, it is clear that Alice is mature and capable enough to handle the magic she has." Sakuya said, walking over to Alice's side. Shanghai floated to Sakuya's shoulder from behind Alice, holding a lance towards the opposite group.

"You're seriously on her side? She just said she killed everybody you knew!" the girl with the wrench said.  
>"No, I know exactly what killed everyone in the mansion. It wasn't her fault. The rest of the world, maybe, but… Do you know what it's like to owe your entire existence to someone? I would willingly give my life, or anyone else's, for Mistress Remilia or Mistress Flandre. Even for Lady Patchouli. If all of them were dead? I wouldn't think twice about destroying the world to bring them back. And if Reimu was dead as well, then it is as she said. You, your name is Hakurei as well, yes? Then you should know exactly what happens when you die, if there is no one else to watch the border." Sakuya said.<br>Reimu winced. "I… can't deny that… If… Fine. I'll sit this out. I'm not going to do anything on either side. If you guys still wanna go at her, be my guest." Reimu said, turning toward the rest of her group.  
>"I never thought that this was a good idea in the first place." the girl with the baton said, leaning against a wall.<p>

The woman with the sword said "I'm not letting her off easy. Know the name of she who will cut you down. I am Konngara. I will be your end."  
>"Rika! And I'm gonna beat you 'til you scream!" the girl with the wrench said, smacking said wrench against her opposite palm.<br>The purple-haired girl got out a pistol and said "Rikako Asakura. Goodbye, Alice."  
>The vampire said "I'm Kurumi, and your blood will be delicious!"<br>Sakuya rolled her eyes and said "Are we really going to do this? You were complaining about how few of you there are. Do you truly wish to decrease that already small number?" She pulled out a few knives and her stopwatch.  
>The girl with the baton said "Yeah. Rika, Rikako? I really don't know what you think you're going to do. I mean, at least if Kurumi or Konngara bite it, they'll come back. Now, you're clearly not human anymore, having survived with no food or water for who knows how many years, but do you really want to test and see if you'll reincarnate?"<br>"Shut up, Orange." Rika said.  
>"No, she's right. All I have is this pistol, which wouldn't even work on a youkai, and you've got, what, a wrench? As much as I'd rather not, it would be best if we sit this one out." Rikako said, dropping the pistol and leaning her head against the wall furthest from Alice and Sakuya.<br>Rika said "Fine! I'll just go bash my head against a wall, or something!" before throwing her wrench at the wall and stomping over to the corner.  
>Kurumi turned towards the two former humans and said "Cowards." She turned back to Alice and Sakuya. She seemed somewhat nervous, likely due to her dwindling number of allies. "There's no way I'm backing down." she said.<br>"Your loss." Sakuya said. Knives surrounded the vampire, and she was quickly dispatched.  
>"A coward's tactic." Konngara said.<br>"A winner's strategy." Sakuya said.

Sakuya repeated her maneuver against the swordswoman, who spun in a circle, deflecting all the knives. Konngara and Sakuya kept trading blows, as Alice sent a small doll into the fray. Noticing the doll, Sakuya smirked and hopped backwards.  
>"Are you afraid, maid?" Konngara said. Sakuya simply pointed at the ground beneath the swordswoman's feet. "Do you truly think I will fall for such a che-" Konngara's statement was interrupted by the explosion caused by the doll. Konngara was sent flying into the air, and Sakuya finished off the woman with a barrage of knives.<p>

Alice turned to the others in the room and said "I deeply apologize for my actions as a child, and beg your forgiveness."  
>Orange said "Already done. Kids are dumb, that's why they shouldn't have access to that kind of power in the first place."<br>Reimu said "As much as I want to punch you… It really wasn't your fault. You didn't know what you were doing, so punishing you so harshly would be out of line."  
>"After having a few moments to cool my head, I find myself agreeing with Reimu and Orange. I apologize for my earlier hostility." Rikako said. Rika pointedly said nothing, and just glared at Alice.<p>

Alice looked back up at the door she had entered, concerned as to why Yumeko and the rest hadn't followed her in, only to find that the door was gone.  
>"Yeah, it doesn't really seem like you'll be able to head back out that way. The only door out of here doesn't open, either." Orange said, gesturing towards said door with her baton.<br>"So, we're stuck?" Alice said.  
>"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it." Orange said.<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Door Problems

"You really were laying it on a bit thick, there, Yumeko. I'm honestly a bit surprised she didn't figure it out already." Yuki said, after Alice fell through the disappearing door.  
>"While that wasn't me, I am glad to know you are of a similar opinion." Yumeko said.<br>"It wasn't you?" Yuki said.  
>"No, I was planning on taking her to Lady Shinki and seeing if Shinki reacts in any way. The chance that she's telling the truth is too great to simply ignore altogether." Yumeko said.<br>"I suppose if that wasn't one of your traps, we ought rescue her." Mai said.  
>"Yes. We want her to think we trust her, at least. And if it turns out she's telling the truth?" Yumeko said, looking pointedly at the two witches.<br>"This never happened." Mai said. Yuki nodded in agreement.  
>"Mean. Lady. Not. Lie. Alice." Alyssa said.<br>"As much as I want to kill you, if we are to have Alice trust us, you must stay alive. However, I _can_ make your life miserable if you try to tell her. You will be quiet, yes, Daughter?" Yumeko said.  
>"Mean. Lady. Scary." Alyssa said, in her usual monotone.<br>"I'll take that as a yes, then." Yumeko said.

"What the heck happened here? It's… wonky." Marisa's voice came from the first room.  
>"I imagine that's because this is where Shinki ended up. Why else would those arrows be leading us here?" Mima said.<br>"I guess. Good thing we can fly, 'cuz I wouldn't even know where ta start if we had ta walk." Marisa said.  
>"Seconded. Seconded <em>greatly<em>." Mima said. The spirit looked around the room. "Though… I'm still not sure where to go." she said.  
>"Over here, guys!" Yuki said.<p>

"So, what happened ta Alice?" Marisa said.  
>Yumeko gestured at the wall where the door had been, and said "There was a door here, but it disappeared when Alice went through it, so now she's alone with whatever's on the other side."<br>"Did you think about breaking down the wall?" Mima said.  
>"We tried that." Mai said.<br>"Hm… How hard did you try?" Mima said. She pointed her staff at the wall and blasted it with a powerful spell. After the smoke cleared, there weren't even any marks on the wall. "Pretty hard, I guess." Mima said.  
>Yumeko nodded. "It appears as though we'll need to find another way around." she said.<br>Alyssa tilted her head, and pointed at a shimmer on a different wall. "There." she said.  
>Marisa nodded and said "Seems like as good a place as any. C'mon, let's go." She then put her hand on the shimmer, and said "Yup, it ain't solid. C'mon everybody." before walking through the shimmer.<br>Mima shrugged and headed through the shimmer herself. The rest of the group followed.

* * *

><p>Marisa opened the door, and said "Oi, Alice. You in here?" There was no answer. "Guess not. C'mon in, guys." Marisa said, walking through the door. The group followed her, and then Yumeko put her hand on her forehead. The room was full of doors.<br>"Well, what now?" Mima said.  
>"Just try them all until we find something? That would take forever, though." Yuki said.<br>"Nah, that'll take too long. Anybody have anything that belongs ta Alice? If so, I could put a trackin' spell on 'er." Marisa said.  
>"I don't have anything of Lady Alice's. Either of you?" Yumeko said. Yuki and Mai shook their heads.<br>"Don't look at me." Mima said.  
>"Damn. Anybody got any ideas?" Marisa said.<br>"Door. Strange." Alyssa said, pointing at the furthest door.  
>The group went over to it. "It looks perfectly normal to me." Mima said.<br>"Door. Strange." Alyssa said again.  
>"Well, we ain't got any leads, so why not?" Marisa said.<p>

"Don't close the… Damnit, Marisa!" Alice said, as the door slammed shut behind the group.  
>"Don't tell me it's sealed…" Mima said. Alice nodded. "Well, fuck." the spirit said.<br>"Now… Is that Chu-I mean old Reimu?" Marisa said.  
>"What were you about to call me, Marisa?" Reimu said, glaring at her.<br>"Nothin'. Don't worry 'bout it." Marisa said quickly.  
>"Anyways, Marisa, how'd you and Mima survive?" Reimu said.<br>"Well, we each had a copy of Shinki's Grimoire. Apparently, that's all one needed to stay the same despite the universe switch. Now, how did _you_ survive?" Mima said. Reimu shrugged.  
>"So, we're all trapped, then?" Yumeko said.<br>"Yes." Sakuya said.  
>"Eh? Sakuya? What're you doin' here?" Marisa said.<br>"Well… You know, after the underground incident…" Alice said, shuffling nervously.  
>"You had to use the spell again, right? You seemed to forget that I had a copy of my book on me for the past ever since you had cast the spell the first time." Mima said. Alice nodded.<br>"She had to. Marisa, you, and Reimu, and everyone in the mansion but me, were all dead." Sakuya said.  
>"I figured it was somethin' like that. You did kinda collapse cryin' at the party, Alice." Marisa said.<br>Alice nodded, then said "I guess I wasn't very good at hiding it, was I?"  
>"Yeah, not really." Marisa said.<p>

"So, we're all trapped here, then?" Mima said.  
>"I guess nobody actually <em>tried the door!<em>" Marisa said, holding the door open.  
>"Bwuh- How the hell'd you do that!?" Reimu said, rushing over to the door.<br>"I just opened the door." Marisa said, letting the door close.  
>"Let me try." Reimu said. She tried to open the door, but nothing happened. "How come you can do it and I can't?"<br>"I dunno, but…" Marisa said, and she opened the door again. "It looks like it wasn't a fluke." she said. Reimu tried tackling the door, but the result was the same as her last attempt.  
>"Does it really matter? I mean, if Marisa holds the door open and we all walk through it, we ought to be fine, right?" Orange said.<br>"I guess…" Reimu said. Marisa opened the door, and Reimu tried to go through it. However, when she hit the threshold, she yelped, stepped back, and brought her hands to her nose, which was bleeding.  
>"Well, then. Mima, come help me with this. It must be a magical seal." Marisa said.<br>"You sure it's not a divine seal?" Orange said. "I mean, you're a human, but we've all been here for gods know how many years, with no food or water, so Reimu sure isn't human anymore."  
>"Well, I ain't human no more neither, so…" Marisa said.<br>"Care to explain the difference between divine seals and magical seals for us non-magic users?" Rika said.  
>"Yeah, sure. Divine seals are real easy ta make, 'specially if somebody has a connection to the divine in some way. But, they're kinda limited in their usage, only work on youkai. Can't specifically make it keep somethin' specific out. Magic seals on the other hand are pretty tough ta make, but they can be way more specific as ta what they keep in or out. Now, Mima, lessee if ya can go through the door." Marisa said.<br>"Sure." Mima said. She opened the door with no issues. "I'm good. Alice?" she said.  
>"Right." Alice said. She also had no troubles with the door. "Has Sakuya tried it?"<br>Sakuya shook her head. She tried to open the door, but it didn't budge. "No luck." she said.  
>Yumeko reached for the door next, and was able to open it. She directed Yuki and Mai to try as well, and they had no problems either.<p>

"So, Mima. It stops people who came from the old worlds from going through it?" Marisa said. Mima nodded. "So, it targets… outside genetics? Something like that?" Marisa said.  
>"Outside genetics? Maybe… but… Oi, Reimu, you mind if I run a few tests on you?" Mima said.<br>"Sure, if it gets us out of here." Reimu said.  
>"Okay. This is gonna tickle a bit." Mima said.<br>Reimu started glowing and laughing hysterically. The rest of the old world group looked at her strangely.  
>"Hm… I see. Marisa, your turn." Mima said, as Reimu's laughing fit ended.<br>"Right." Marisa said, before she began glowing and laughing.  
>"Hm… That's interesting… Very interesting…" Mima said. "You were pretty close, Marisa. Your genetics are the same, but your internal magic is different." she said.<br>"Internal magic?" Rika said.  
>"Yeah, everybody's got some inherent magic power, and it's pretty much the same for just about everybody. The only difference 'tween different people is the levels of power." Marisa said. Then, looking at Mima, she said "So, a barrier based off'a people's internal magic? So, we just need ta cover 'em in our magic, right?" Mima nodded.<br>"Cover us in your magic?" Rikako said, shuddering a bit.  
>"Yeah, that sounds a bit gross." Rika said.<br>"Your welcome." Marisa said, grinning.  
>"It'll just feel like getting fairy dust spread over you, but it doesn't make you float." Mima said. Mima's staff erupted in magic power, spreading a bluish-green dust over the group.<br>"So, now we ought to be able to head through the door?" Orange said.  
>"Theoretically." Mima said.<br>"Well, let's try it." Reimu said. She pushed against the door again, but nothing happened. "Hey, I thought you said this would work. Why can't I go through?" she said.  
>"I guess I should've figured that a seal placed by Shinki, crazy or not, wouldn't be fooled by such a simple trick…" Mima said.<p>

"So, we're stuck in here?" Reimu said.  
>"'Til further notice…" Marisa said, looking down.<br>Alice sighed. "Yuki, Mai, please stay here with them. You too, Alyssa." she said.  
>"Eh? Why?" Yuki said.<br>"Because they've been stuck here by themselves for far too long." Alice said.  
>"Ugh… fine." Yuki said, rolling her eyes.<br>"I'll stay here, too. I want ta see if I can't figure out some way ta break the seal itself. It'll also be a good chance ta catch Chubs up on what's been goin' on in Gensokyo lately. Sorry ta say, Alice, but you're kinda a shut-in, and old Reimu'll need ta know what's goin' on in new Gensokyo if we ever get these guys out." Marisa said. Alice nodded. Mima grinned a bit, but no one else seemed to notice what Marisa called Reimu.  
>"Well, be seeing you, Alice, Mima, Yumeko." Reimu said.<br>"Yeah. We'll see if we can't get Shinki to let you out herself." Alice said.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Rin and Jackie

Note:It was recently brought to my attention that one should not end quotations with periods, but should instead use commas, if the dialogue tag occurs after the dialogue. Hence, I will be changing it for all future chapters. I know it's not really a big thing, but I like being correct. Even if I'm too lazy to actually go back and change it for the previous chapters.

Note #2: So, I did a derp. You know how Yumeko went with Alice & Mima last chapter? Well, apparently, I didn't know, because I put Yumeko in this chapter, with Reimu & Marisa, instead of having her not be here, and thus having her be with Alice and Mima, like she was supposed to be. *The hardest of facepalms was done*

* * *

><p>"So, Marisa, you mentioned something about not being human anymore?" Reimu said.<br>Marisa said "Yeah. Some stuff happened, and Yukari- Uh, she's like, Genji, if Genji was a nigh-omnipotent, purposefully annoying hag- She gapped me to the outside world. And-"  
>Marisa was interrupted by Reimu's "What? How is a nigh-omnipotent, purposefully annoying hag anything like Genji, aside from the age?"<br>"Well, she's the one that makes sure Gensokyo's runnin' the way it's supposed ta be. And she's one a' new you's best friends," Marisa said.  
>Reimu raised an eyebrow. "But… isn't she a youkai?" she said.<br>Marisa nodded. "Yeah, but so is Mima. An' now, so am I. In fact, wasn't Genji kinda one too?"  
>"Not really…" Reimu said. "Just because an animal can talk doesn't mean it's a youkai."<br>Marisa said "Oh, well, whatever. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Yukari gapped me to the outside world, and-"  
>"Gapped?" Reimu interrupted again.<br>Marisa said "Right, you ain't used ta her yet. Yukari's got power over any and all borders. We use 'gapped' when she moves somebody from one place to another. Anyways, Yukari gapped me to the outside world, and-"  
>"Why would she take you to the outside world, if she's the defender of Gensokyo?" Reimu interrupted a third time.<br>"If ya'd shut up, maybe I could tell you," Marisa said.  
>"Right, sorry," Reimu said.<br>"So, anyways, Yukari gapped me to the outside world, and, well, to be honest I don't think it was our outside world, 'cuz there was plenty a' magic out there, even though it was a lot less nice than Gensokyo. There was these girls that fought giant monsters that, honestly, were pretty weak. Both the girls and the monsters, I mean. But anyways, there was this really powerful one that was gonna show up, and Yukari wanted me ta fight it, but the girls didn't think I'd be able ta do it, and they'd already seen what I could do, so I figured I'd open up my copy a' Shinki's Grimoire, see if there was anything in there that'd help me fight it. And it did the same thing ta me it did ta Alice," Marisa said.  
>Reimu said "Okay… but why did Yukari want you to help the girls in the first place?"<br>"Oh, right. It's actually 'cuz Mima was locked up in the netherworld, and Yukari noticed her actin' different ever since Alice cast that one spell. Yukari was hopin' that she'd be able ta let Mima go free 'cuz she's real smart. But she was worried that I wouldn't be able ta stop Mima from goin' on a rampage if she got pissy," Marisa said.

"So… I gotta work on this, you can get most a' the rest a' the information you'll need from Sakuya over there," Marisa said.  
>"Yeah, sorry for disturbing you," Reimu said.<br>"Nah, it's no problem. I mean, you were really my only friend back in old Gensokyo. It's just, I wanna get you outta here so we can actually catch up at some point," Marisa said.  
>Reimu smiled a bit. "Yeah, see ya later," she said. She headed over to Sakuya and began speaking with her.<p>

Marisa ran her hands over the door, looking for any bumps, marks, indents, or carvings that might indicate the origin of the seal. Nothing. She knocked on the corners, the most logical place to put a seal. Nothing. She put her ear to the door, and knocked on it, listening for any signs of imperfections. Nothing, but at least this time it ruled out carvings, bumps, and indents. She floated up to the upper corners of the door, shining a small magic light to see if there was anything she missed. Nothing. She opened the door, and everyone from old Gensokyo looked over expectantly, but Marisa said "Hang on, now, I'm just investigatin' more. I'm not ready ta have people go through yet," and everyone turned back to what they were doing, mostly playing some game with differently colored knives of Sakuya's. Marisa checked the door frame for anything indicating a seal. Nothing. Marisa sighed, and checked the other side of the door. And finally, there was something in the corner. Marisa had never seen the runes before, but it was a start.

* * *

><p>"So, we're the only two that actually have a counterpart in this new world, it seems," Sakuya said.<br>"What makes you say that?" Reimu said.  
>"Well, it seems like the newest Gensokyo is almost the same as my Gensokyo, but without… Anyways, unless the others were hiding, they don't have a counterpart in Gensokyo, because I'd never heard of them before. And with the amount of Reimu's festivals and my own Mistress's parties, I feel I was fairly well-acquainted with the people of Gensokyo. Though, Orange does remind me a bit of our gate guard," Sakuya said.<br>"Oh. Well, why do you bring this up, if I may ask?" Reimu said.  
>"Well, I imagine my Mistress won't need two of me, and if Reimu is the same as I remember, she probably won't really want you around the shrine. I'm not sure if she does it to try to protect people but doesn't want to come off as soft, or is just anti-social, but aside from the oni and gap-demon, she generally spends most of her time alone. As such, it would likely be beneficial to us to change our names, such that we don't confuse others, and such that we don't get accused of anything by our counterparts," Sakuya said.<br>Reimu nodded. "I guess that makes sense. So, what do you have in mind?"  
>Sakuya said "I already have another name. Sakuya was simply the name given to me by my Mistress, so I can simply revert back to my original name. Hence, you may call me Jacklyne Moore, or Jackie."<br>Reimu said "Jackie? Okay. Well… I always liked the name Rin, so… Rin Satsuki. That'll be my new name."

"Oi, Mai, you wanna come help me out with this? I don't recognize the symbol, so…" Marisa said from outside.  
>"I guess," Mai said, heading outside.<br>Marisa was crouching by the bottom corner of the door, with her ear to it, tapping the symbol. When Mai got there, Marisa stood up and said "You got any clue what that means? It doesn't look like any writing I've ever seen, and I've seen lots a' different languages."  
>Mai crouched down to look more closely. "I don't recognize it. Yuki!" she said.<br>"Right, coming!" Yuki said.  
>When she arrived, Mai said "Do you recognize this at all?"<br>Yuki said "Maybe… I think... " She scratched the back of her head. "You mind turning around for a bit? Plausible deniability and all," she said. Everyone turned away from her. After a few minutes, she said "Okay, yeah, I got it. You can turn back around now, guys. That's the language Shinki uses for her personal spells."  
>"So, any idea how ta counter it?" Marisa said.<br>"Well, Shinki's too smart to leave any exploitable flaws with her personal spells. Basically, we'll just need to overpower it until it explodes," Yuki said.  
>"And how big will the explosion be?" Mai said.<br>"Well, it depends on how strong the seal is. In other words: Hey, everybody in the room, get as far from the door as you possibly can!" Yuki said. Everyone complied.  
>"So, how're we gonna do this? Just blast it 'til it blows up, or…?" Marisa said.<br>"Yup," Yuki said. "Just be careful, 'cuz like I said, it's gonna explode if we succeed."  
>Marisa pulled out her Mini-Hakkero, and Yuki and Mai pointed their palms at the symbol. "And, go!" Yuki said. The three of them blasted the door with as much magic power as they could muster. Easily enough power to level a city, but despite that, the door hardly budged. They kept up with their magic. The door began glowing. After a short time, Mai dropped out, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. Marisa pushed herself even harder to compensate. The door began cracking. Marisa and Yuki were sweating profusely. Lights began shining from within the cracks. Marisa collapsed, unconscious. Yuki made one last push, putting everything she had into her attack. And the door exploded. The explosion blasted the three mages off the nearby bottomless cliff.<br>"Hey, looks like they did it," the newly-christened Rin said. Then she noticed that there was no one on the other side of the hole in the wall. "Marisa!" She ran to the cliff, and looked down into the pit.  
>Jackie grinned, as she knew exactly what a 'bottomless' pit was, seeing as she had used it once or twice in the defense of the mansion, back when they were in the outside world. She said "Three, two, one," and on 'one', the group that had fallen off the cliff fell on Rin.<p>

* * *

><p>After Yuki, Mai, and Marisa were up and moving again, the group from the old Gensokyos left the room they had been trapped in, and gave thanks to the mages.<br>"Well, We should probably be heading off. Yumeko'll kill us if we sit here twiddling our thumbs," Yuki said.  
>Orange said "I'll stay here for when Konngara and Kurumi recover."<br>"Alright, then. C'mon guys, I think y'all owe Alice your help, so let's go find her and help Shinki," Marisa said. "Though, Orange, could you watch over Alyssa there? I don't mean ta be rude ta her, but she'd just slow it down," Marisa said.  
>"Yeah, I'll take care of her," Orange said.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Shinki

Note: If you're confused as to why Yumeko is with Alice and Mima in this chapter, then you probably read chapter 13 prior to my update of it. I realized that Yumeko was supposed to be with Alice, not Marisa, and thus had to fix it.

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><p>Alice touched the door and gulped.<br>"What is it, Lady Alice?" Yumeko said.  
>"I-I just got a foreboding feeling… There's something important on the other side of this door, I think," Alice said.<br>"So, why haven't you opened it yet? The only important thing in this place other than Reimu and her bunch ought to be Shinki," Mima said.  
>"Right," Alice said, as she opened the door.<p>

The room was empty, except for Shinki, who was sitting in the center of the room, facing away from the door.  
>"M-Mom?" Alice said.<br>"Lady Shinki! Are you alright?" Yumeko said.  
>Without turning around, Shinki said "It's that time again? Another attack? I thought there would be more time…"<br>"Lady Shinki?" Yumeko said.  
>"Just ignore them. They don't exist. They don't exist. They don't exist. Just ignore them. It's just your brain messing with you again. Just ignore them," Shinki said.<br>"Hey, Batty. Stop moping, it's time to get up," Mima said.  
>"Well, she's new. The self-proclaimed goddess of the human world is going to pester you now, too?" Shinki said.<br>Alice walked in front of Shinki and said "Mom, we're not hallucinations. Please, look at me, Mom."  
>Shinki just shook her head. "No, you know how this works. You look at her, then she turns into a monster and devours you. You just need to ignore them and they'll go away. So, just ignore them and they'll go away."<br>Alice blinked away tears, put her hands on Shinki's shoulders, and said "Mom, please, just… just look at me. It's me, Alice. I'm here, Mom, just… Please…"  
>"Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. That's all you need to do. They'll go away, if you just ignore them," Shinki said.<br>Alice, almost crying, said "Mom…"  
>Mima put her hand on Alice's shoulder and said "Leave her, she's obviously not going to listen."<p>

"Now, I don't know exactly how things work for Nigh-Omnipotent Creator types, but… Yumeko, you said that there were 'beasts of destruction' or something like that?" Mima said. Yumeko nodded. "I assume they appeared at the same time that Shinki went nutso," Mima said. Yumeko nodded again. "Then, it's possible that they're physical manifestations of Shinki's madness, meaning that if we kill them, Shinki might go back to normal, at least enough for her to recognize Alice," Mima said.  
>"But, we tried everything we could think of to kill them. They're essentially invincible," Yumeko said.<br>"Well, do you want to fix your Goddess or not? It's the best idea we've got, so we damn well better find a way to kill them," Mima said.  
>Yumeko grimaced, then sighed and said "I guess…"<p>

After the group left, Shinki said "See, I told you, if you ignore them, they'll go away. I told you. You were told. Ignore them and they go away."

"Hey, Alice! You guys not found Shinki yet, I take it," Marisa said, when the two groups met each other.  
>"Actually, we did," Mima said.<br>"Judging by the fact that you're the one that said that, and that Shinki's not with you guys, it didn't go too well, did it?" Marisa said.  
>"No, no it didn't. Apparently, she's been having insanity attacks, that involve Alice and Yumeko, so she just thought she was going crazy again. But, Yumeko said something about monsters that appeared when Shinki first went crazy, so I figured the best way to start would be to try to kill them, see if that does anything," Mima said.<br>"Oh… They wouldn't happen to be giant snake-thingies with our faces, would they?" Marisa said.  
>"Uh, yes. Why?" Yumeko said.<br>"Well, then, I already killed one," Marisa said.  
>"Really? How?" Yumeko said, eyes wide.<br>"Well, it, uh… Well, it, uh…" Marisa said.  
>"Does this have anything to do with why I was slimy when I regained consciousness, Marisa?" Mima said.<br>"Uh… Uh… Uh… Yeah… Yeah, it does. The stupid thing ate you, okay? So I Blazing Starred through it, and apparently its insides aren't very strong," Marisa said.  
>"You let me get eaten?" Mima said, arms crossed.<br>"Hey, hey, it all worked out in the end, right? Now we know how ta kill them, don't we?" Marisa said.  
>"Yes, and I'm <em>sure <em>that's what you had in mind when you let the thing _eat me!_" Mima said.  
>"Look, I got ya out, didn't I? So stop complaining," Marisa said. Mima rolled her eyes.<br>"So, we just need to attack into their mouths?" Yumeko said.  
>"No, I tried that first thing when the thing showed up. Didn't do nothin'," Marisa said. "You'll have ta actually get inside the thing and kill it from there. Which, let me tell ya, is no fun at all."<p> 


End file.
